MQM leader questions Imran Khan's silence on oppression of Mohajirs, Balochs and Pashtuns

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain wrote an open letter to the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan questioning his silence on the oppression of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns and other non-Punjabi ethnic groups by the Pakistani military.

In the letter, which the MQM leader put up on Twitter last month, Hussain questioned if Khan "would have the courage to answer about the lockdown of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns and other non-Punjabi nations who are facing brutalities, atrocities, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extra judicial killings of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns and other oppressed nations at the hands of their own Army."

Pakistan has often faced criticism for the treatment of these ethnic groups, which continue to face persecution at the hands of its military and other agencies.

While Imran Khan never misses a chance to speak about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he remains a mute spectator and turns a blind eye to the oppression in his country by the military establishment.

The MQM leader said in his letter that there is no parallel with what is happening in Kashmir to the victimisation of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns and others from "1947 up till now."

Alleging that his followers have been prevented for many years by the military establishment to carry out political activities, Hussain said, "My house has been sealed from 2016 up till now, why are these atrocities and brutalities being carried out by the ruthless military establishment? Where is the constitution and the law of the land? Why has the military establishment imposed an undeclared martial law in the whole Pakistan?"

The MQM leader said there is no freedom of expression, association or independence of the press in Pakistan and added that the print and electronic media is fully under the control of military establishment in the country.

Raising questions about the independence of the judicial system in the country, Hussain said, "People of Pakistan are not illiterate, they are fully aware that even from lower courts to higher courts straight through to the supreme court is totally under the control of military establishment."

Terming Imran Khan as a mouthpiece of the military establishment, he said: "You are crying for the Kashmiris but not looking at the brutal and ruthless actions of the Pakistani military establishment carried out on 220 million people of Pakistan."

Hussain asked Khan to resign immediately if he has "any conscience". "Otherwise stop fooling the international community through your false pretences," the MQM leader wrote.

In August, at a United Nations meet, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada raised the issue of suppression of religious freedom by Pakistan and slammed it for "persecuting and repressing" religious minorities.

During the meet on Safety of Religious Minorities, the US, UK and Canada expressed concerns over increasing, widespread and undue restrictions on religious freedom in Pakistan and China. They highlighted the discrimination suffered by the Uyghur community in China, and Christians, Ahmadiyas, Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan.